


Pepper

by dorayaki



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-06-27
Packaged: 2018-07-18 13:51:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7317775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorayaki/pseuds/dorayaki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charlotte's turn to make dinner is interrupted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pepper

“Got it, finally!” Giving herself a well deserved pat on the back, Charlotte decided to double check and take another sip from her ladle; there's no way she's not getting showered in compliments with a meal this good, right? When it was her turn in the kitchen, it was her time to show off once and for all; no holding back like she had to do on the battlefield!

Being insistent on not only cooking the meals, but also serving them, setting down the plates with a smile, shaking her head after hearing the first round of compliments while acting surprised, then vehemently denying its quality while pretending the preparation didn't take hours and was totally just a coincidence. It doubled as an ego boost and as a way to win favor with royalty and other important people in the army simultaneously, a win-win situation.

After making sure everything was ready, she began taking off her apron, a decent amount stains adorning it; the usual after an intense cooking session, good thing she always kept a spare handy.

“Not bad, it could use more pepper though.” And before Charlotte could untie the ribbon holding her apron in place, she heard him. His usual routine; appearing out of nowhere, getting his hands all over her food without permission and nearly gluing her to the ceiling from shock in the process.

Her smile immediately turned into a frown, these surprise visits were common, but they never stopped being equal amounts of unexpected and unpleasant. “Hey, hands off! How many times do I have to tell you? Get your claws off the food, sneak!”

Saizo's response to her yelling was pure indifference, with his arms crossed and an uninterested expression, he glanced at the dish he had just sampled from. “You were taking your apron off, correct? I had to inform you it was still missing something, before you started serving that is.”

With this guy it was always the same story. He'd barge in uninvited, piss her off, then leave, kind of like a breeze coming in through the window. But he apparently didn't know how doors or windows worked; falling from the ceiling was more his thing, and rather than being like a gentle wind, his presence felt more like a surprise forehead flick.

“Tasted pretty good to me, and I don't remember asking for your opinion either.” Unconsciously, Charlotte mirrored his body language, her arms folded in place while looking up at him. “How long do you plan on doing this, anyway? There's got to be some more people complaining about this habit of yours.”

Narrowing his eye slightly, Saizo took a little pause before opening his mouth again. “If you haven't heard complaints about me, that would be because I don't make it a habit to barge in on other people's cooking, you're an exception.”

Charlotte already knew what to expect from this conversation, these exchanges happened often enough for them to be predictable. He was at the part where he'd say something that could be misinterpreted as him being fond of her, catching her off guard, and right when she'd think that maybe the sneaky ninja wasn't such a bad guy, he'd ruin everything with an unnecessary comment at the end.

“Ha! So you're giving me special treatment? How unexpected. Didn't think you liked being around me that much.” She turned around with a scoff, expecting her implication to be answered with either anger or sarcasm. He was grumpy and had a short fuse, the type to take baits like these without a second thought. But he didn't say anything for a while; and right before she assumed he left the room frustrated, he spoke.

“I do consider your presence to be enjoyable, especially when you drop the facade and act naturally.” His tone and expression softened slightly, not that she could notice the latter, being a little too busy staring at the wall and hoping her face hadn't grown redder than the stains decorating her apron. “You're one of the most interesting people here, and I am thankful for everything you do to help the army.”

She was expecting anger out of him, or at least annoyance, but never praise, not like this. He was one of the few people here who knew about Charlotte's facade, he recognized her efforts, and even though he was prone to ending their chats without any tact whatsoever, she could tell he meant every word when he complimented her. Others would run or shake in their boots when confronted with her real self, but he liked her better without the mask, and she was genuinely thankful for that.

But then he did the usual, maybe it was impossible for him to not ruin a nice moment with an unnecessary remark at the end. “It really is hard to find someone like you, it's not often you run into someone who can do work this delicate while also being aggressive and foul mouthed.”

Turning around to let Saizo have a piece of her mind, the pink blush on her cheeks replaced with an angry red, he gave her an amused smile and disappeared before she could open her mouth.

“Ugh! I can't stand the guy!” Pinching the bridge of her nose, Charlotte took a deep breath and decided to get back to work after taking one last glance up at the ceiling. But not before making a quick mental note to maybe add some more pepper next time, to shut him up in advance, nothing else, really.


End file.
